The Government Service for Common and General Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia has issued an official apology after an unintentional error in promotional materials distributed to diplomatic missions showed Kosovo depicted as part of Serbia, rather than as an independent state.
According to the statement, the mistake appeared at the back of a block of printed notes, where a colorful map of Europe was included. The material, which was printed only in the Macedonian language, was sent to several embassies.
The map sparked strong reactions, as Kosovo was not shown as a sovereign state, but instead appeared within Serbia’s territorial boundaries.
In an official letter addressed to the Embassy of Kosovo, the Government Service expressed its deep apology, describing the incident as a technical error, and confirmed that the material will be immediately withdrawn from use.
Although authorities insist the issue was purely technical, the incident comes amid a politically sensitive context. In recent periods, senior government representatives have publicly used the term “Kosovo and Metohija”, terminology closely linked to Serbia’s official narrative and not aligned with internationally recognized positions.
Furthermore, similar representations have appeared in certain school textbooks, from which Albanian children also study, where Kosovo has at times been presented as part of Serbia, according to reports by Koha.mk citing Portalix.mk.
